Welcome to My Life
by tervaco
Summary: Inspired by a powerful song, what happens when Jenny reaches her wit's end? Can anyone save her? And just who is the boy who stands alone in the rain? [COMPLETE]
1. Prologue

Welcome to My Life

Inspired by Simple Plan's song of the same name.

Prologue:

Jenny had forgotten what it felt like to smile. She felt like the bad times far outweighed the good and that there was little reason to continue. Her mother's mission was to create a robot who could simulate a teenage girl's life and protect the planet from any threat. The thought made Jenny sizzle with anger, how could her mother know what it was like to be a girl in today's age where looks and status mean more than anything else? She couldn't, but then neither could Jenny. She assumed that because she had saved the planet on so many occasions, her popularity was assured. Boy, was she wrong…

He stood in the rain looking up into the cool sky. His mind was a blur of images from the past 24 hours. Everything that had happened had lead to this moment. The pain, the torture, the hate, it all lead to this point and it was all going to end. The cold feel of metal in his hands snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him to now. He could change everything, prove that he wasn't a wuss or a coward or a nerd, but would he really cross that line? He pulled the gun from his pocket and looked at it. This was it, all he needed to do was pull the trigger. He fell to his knees and let the rain wash over him. He was going to chicken out again…

Brad felt his heart pounding against his chest as he frantically searched for Jenny. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her. He was too late to stop the first assault, but maybe he could protect her from the next. His clothes were soaked and slowing him down as the rain began coming down even harder. He rounded another street corner and entered the field in the center of town where he found a figure kneeling down. Something silvery was in his hand. Instantly Brad knew what it was. The figure looked at him with a ghostly gaze. Was he too late? The lightening crackled through the air before shattering the silence. The figure rose and stepped towards him. This was it…


	2. How Could This Happen?

Welcome to My Life

Chapter 1: How Could This Happen?

Brad backed away in fear as the figure approached him. The man kept his head bowed as he got closer and closer until he was on top of Brad. The teen clenched his teeth waiting for the gun to go off and for the bullet to tear through him, but it never came. The man had brushed past him and kept on walking. The rain continued pounding down on him as he tried to catch his breath.

'What the hell was that?' he asked himself.

The crack of thunder reminded him of his search. Jenny was out here somewhere, rusting and hurt and Brad had to get to her before it was too late. The thought of the figure and the gun terrified him, but the thought of life without Jenny hurt more than anything he'd ever felt before. How could he have been so stupid, he knew what was coming, but neglected to tell her. He thought Jenny could take care of herself. He was wrong…

_Jenny walked into school wrapped in a special kind of rain coat her mom had made. Instantly Brit was on her case about it being bright yellow instead of a "trendy" pink like her own. Jenny just bowed her head and readied herself for the onslaught of laughter from the other kids. It never came, instead came gasps and wide eyes as Jenny opened her locker. Inside were pictures of her holding hands with Sheldon, without her chassis down, and other embarrassing shots. She could feel the wave of laughter building as she turned to see the photos all down the hall. She couldn't feel her face anymore, all she felt was a tight sensation like someone had over tightened her face plate._

_Jenny ran trying in vain to escape the laughs of her "peers", but instead ran right into Don Prima. She fell to the ground and Don yelled at her for scuffing his shoes, she could hear the hatred dripping from his venomous words. The tears started pouring down her face. She turned around and saw Tiff holding a water balloon and instantly went into panic mode. There was no where to run as the balloon tore open on her causing part of her chassis to rust up. She fell to the ground as the laughter continued to roar around her. Where were her friends? Why weren't they here to shield her?_

_"No one cares about you, Robo-Girl, you're all alone," Brit said snidely as Tiff handed her another water balloon._

_It hit her in the face and caused one of her eyes to short out and her face to rust. Where was Brad? Why wasn't he there? She looked up in utter horror as Don threw the next balloon. It never connected._

"Jenny!" Brad yelled as loud as he could. "Jenny, please answer me!"

The wind carried his voice, but there was no reply. This was hopeless he needed to find her now. The longer she was in the rain, the more damage was done, and the more damage she took meant that Jenny was one step closer to shut down. He wasn't going to let that happen.

"Jenny!" he screamed desperately.

He swung around and his eyes widened as he heard it again. It was like a broken record screeching his name over and over. There she was. Brad ran as the rain beat down on him and came to a skidding stop in front of what was left of his friend. She looked up at him with a piercing blue eye and opened her mouth. As she spoke sparks flew out and she screeched his name again. The lower half of her body was gone and she dragged sparking wires and components behind her, clawing her way with her arms. Brad fell back as she reached for him.

"Jen, oh god what did they do?" he asked pulling off his coat.

Hours passed as Brad paced back and forth in Mrs. Wakeman's living room. He had managed to keep what was left of Jenny dry as he carried her home. Noreen Wakeman was shocked at what had happened. Her daughter had never been hurt this badly before, but she had to worry about that later. Her daughter was dying and needed immediate medical attention. That was three hours ago. Now Brad looked up as the grandfather clock struck 2:34 pm. School was almost over and he had missed the whole day. Who would believe him about the guy in the park or about Jenny? He shook his head wiping all the thoughts away. That didn't matter, all that mattered was that Jenny was safe and getting fixed up.

As he continued his pacing he could still here Sheldon's words ringing in his ears, "Jenny's hurt and running out there! You have to help her!"

After that Brad was running and searching desperately for his friend. He despised himself for being late. His car had run out of gas a mile from school so he had to run and by the time he got there it was all over. More so, he had over heard Don in the locker room the day before. Why hadn't he told Jenny? He continued to berate himself over the things he couldn't change and didn't notice when Mrs. Wakeman walked out of the operating room.

Her face was grim as she tried to wipe the oil from her hands. Brad looked up from his thoughts just as the slap rocked his mind. He looked up in total surprise to see Mrs. Wakeman fuming and ready to burst. She gritted her teeth and Brad backed away.

"GET OUT!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Brad did as she said not knowing how to explain. Once outside the door slammed behind him making him jump. He looked down at his feet and sighed. Was this the end of their friendship? He kept asking himself what to do as he made his way home.

Inside the operating room, Jenny laid on the table listening to the screaming and thinking about what had happened. How could everybody just turn on her like that after all the times she had saved them? Brit was right, she was all alone. But there was one person who stood by her…

_"Get away from her!" Chris demanded spinning to face Don._

_He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as Don smirked back at him. The bespectacled teen charged at his target swinging with everything he had and knocked Don to the floor, but before he could do anything more the captain of the baseball team hit him in the chest with his bat. A wet snap rung out through the hallway as the boy fell to the floor coughing blood. _

_"Show him how we treat robot lovers here," the captain said as two of his followers dragged Chris to an open locker._

_By the time the mob's attention was back on Jenny, she was gone. Chris was stuffed into a locker and Jenny had disappeared so the mob broke up. As the kids went back to their normal routines several congratulated Brit & Tiff for the "party". The first period bell rang and the halls eventually cleared._

_Once she was sure there was no one around Jenny pulled herself out of the vent shaft she had crawled into, but there was no one around to help her up. She didn't know where Chris was only that he had tried to help her and got punished because of it. Maybe she deserved to be alone. Everyone she knew was either miserable or got hurt just because they knew her. _

Jenny rested her head on her knees as she continued to think about that morning. Everything had happened in a flash and just like that she felt truly scared for the first time in her life. Never before had she come this close to the brink. How could she go back to school now? How could she explain this to her mother? Worse, what if her mother wouldn't let her see Brad or Chris again? She had gone from an outcast to a recluse in the period of just one morning. Suddenly she sat up and realized…

"What happened to Chris?"

Sheldon walked down the hall to his locker at around 4:30. This meant that all the guys who usually picked on him were either at practice or already home. The hallway was eerily quiet, but he could swear he heard something banging and it was getting closer. He backed up to a wall of lockers and jumped as something pounded behind him. He spun to see the locker door rattling.

"He…hello?" he asked squeamishly.

"Sheldon!" Chris exclaimed. "Get me out of here!"

Sheldon was more confused than scared now. What had happened? He thought about the possibilities as he pulled his screw driver from his pocket and started jimmying the lock. With a sprang the door flew open and Chris came piling out face first. He looked up groggily and sputtered. Sheldon laughed as he offered his friend a hand up. Chris winced as he pulled up and grabbed his side.

"Jeez, Chris, what happened to you?" Sheldon asked, amused that for once he was the in the locker and not himself.

"During this morning's little tirade, I wound up getting knocked around and stuffed in there. Now my ribs feel like crap," he said lifting his shirt and looking under his arm. The skin was discolored and red.

"Your ribs look broken," Sheldon piped up.

Chris gave him a questioning look. He had never broken a bone in his 15 years and now because of some testosterone induced rage he had broken something vital. He growled under his breath as he nodded to Sheldon and turned down the hall. His side ached as he made his way to his locker. He shuddered to think that he had spent all day in one, but he was more concerned about Jenny. She had befriended him when others wouldn't even look at him. If anything happened to her he'd make them pay. He already owed a certain jock a beating for his ribs, but he was only waiting for an excuse to go after the others.

He retrieved his back pack and walked to the door pulling his hoodie up and then stepped out into the rain. This was supposed to be his kind of day. The rain soaked his hoodie and made him shiver slightly. He looked up and cracked a crooked smile, maybe it wasn't all bad if he was able to protect Jenny. Chris turned to his right and began the long walk home.

Behind him Sheldon got on his customized motor scooter and started it up. He couldn't help but worry that he had missed something. Chris was the second strongest friend he had next to Jenny and he didn't usually let people push him around. What had happened, he continued asking himself rounding the corner to his street.

All through the night the rain poured down making the air chill. A shadowy figure appeared at the baseball captain's front door. When the bell rang the captain ran to answer it hoping it was his girlfriend. Instead he opened the door just as a flash went off. The teen fell to the ground in a pool of blood and could only gasp as the figure stood over him with glowing red eyes.

"Seven blackbirds in a tree, count them and see what they be…" the figure said with glee.

The teen tried to get up, but his chest felt on fire and he couldn't get his legs to work.

"One for sorrow," the figure continued firing, "two for joy."

The captain screamed in agony as his legs were torn up. He rolled onto his stomach and tried to drag himself away, but the murderous rhyme went on.

"Three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold," the figure kept going firing again and again.

The teen, now unable to move at all began pleading for his life, but the figure wouldn't listen. It kneeled down in front of him and opened the chamber allowing the spent cartridges to fall to the ground. Slowly and agonizingly it reloaded to gun and slapped the chamber shut. It put the barrel to the teen's forehead and finished its maniacal poem.

"Seven for a secret, That's never been told," it said putting the final round in its victim's head.

It stood up and pulled pictures from a pocket, throwing them on top of the body. With that the figure turned and disappeared into the misty night…


	3. Burning Bright

Welcome to My Life

Chapter 2: Burning Bright

The vicious murder of the baseball captain made all the news casts that night and left many people wary of the prime suspect, Chris. He had been bullied by the captain ever since the two had met years before. It was obvious that everybody thought he did it, but his reaction to the police questioning was surprising. He actually sounded concerned that the teen was dead.

"I already told you, I wasn't anywhere near his home last night, and for that matter, I've never come within a hundred feet of it," Chris told the detectives as they watched him.

One detective was a short, fat, balding man with close set eyes and a deep voice. The other was tall with blonde hair and a kind attitude. Their names were Adam Caporzo and Dean Langdon, respectively.

"So, when was the last time you saw the victim?" Langdon asked.

Chris looked him in the eyes and replied, "When he was stuffing me into a locker."

The detectives turned to each other and then back to him. "What? A kid like you couldn't fight his way out?"

"Of course I tried, but it's kinda difficult when you're nursing busted ribs!" Chris yelled in response. "That stupid sod whacked me as hard as he could with a bat and then stuffed me into a locker to "teach" me a lesson!"

Now the detectives were realizing what had happened and Chris' apparent guilt was coming to light. All they needed now was to get him to slip up and spill everything.

"Alright, so all of that must have really gotten to you, obviously. Why didn't you go to the administration or even the cops?" Caporzo asked snottily.

"Who would believe a nerd that the best baseball player in town had broken his ribs with a bat? No one ever listens to anyone, but the popular rich kids, they're all the same," Chris explained.

"So then you're happy that he's dead?" Langdon asked.

Chris bowed his head as if in respect to the dead, "No. I would never wish that on anyone, not even him. Nobody deserves that," he responded motioning to the pictures of the body.

"But you were pissed! You wanted revenge for what he did and you also," Caporzo tried saying before he was cut off.

"NO! You're right I was angry! Anyone would have been, but even so I would never kill! Besides… I was at the hospital getting my ribs looked at," Chris interrupted.

Now the detectives were left with nothing. Chris had an alibi and it was solid. They had checked with doctors at Tremerton General who vouched for Chris all the way. The doctors even had video of Chris at the hospital at the time the murder occurred. This meant they had to cut him loose, but even worse, it meant there may be someone out there that killed at random. They told him they would be checking in and then showed him the door.

"It just doesn't make sense, Dean. The kid has motive and he even admitted to having the same caliber gun that killed the boy, so how the hell is it that he didn't do it?" Caporzo asked.

"I don't know. It seems like its pretty cut and dry, but the alibi holds up perfectly. For right now we should take a look at other things like the photos found on the body. Apparently our little home town hero wasn't such a good guy," Langdon answered.

The photos on the body depicted the captain drinking, shooting up, beating on other kids, and more. It was as if someone had made sure that everyone knew why the teen was killed. However, whoever took the pictures was skilled, whereas Chris had a hard time holding a camera steady enough to take a simple snapshot. The case had hit a dead end and now the detectives could only wait.

Outside the precinct, Chris pulled his hoodie up. The rain had continued coming down through the night and into the next morning. It was a good thing it was the weekend. Chris didn't want anything more than to lie down and sleep for three days but he knew he couldn't. The taunts and bullying were bad enough before, but now everyone thought he was a killer. He had to prepare for the worst. His ribs ached as he crossed the street and headed home.

As he neared his house he noticed someone at the front door. He thought it was someone else to trying to beat an answer out of him, but smiled when it turned out to be Brad. They shook hands and went inside pulling down their hoods.

"What brings you here, Brad?" Chris asked.

"You know. Just checkin' in on you. Heard about your ribs from Sheldon," Brad answered.

"Thanks, but I'm fine. Now why don't you tell me why you're really here." Chris said sarcastically.

Brad looked at him with sad eyes and instantly Chris knew it was about Jenny. He sat down on his couch and offered Brad a seat. He took it and sat back sinking in. For a long time they didn't say anything, they just sat there listening to the rain outside. Chris turned to his friend and stood.

"You want a drink?" He asked.

Brad snapped out of his daze and replied, "Uh yeah, yeah… a Coke's fine."

Chris disappeared into the kitchen and then reappeared seconds later with two Cokes. He plopped down on the couch and tossed Brad his drink. They opened them and started drinking.

"How is she?" Chris asked.

Brad hesitated, thinking," I guess she's okay, but I didn't get to see her. Wakeman threw me out of the house," he finally said.

Chris nodded, "Well at least you got her home. I spent all day jammed between a history book and a skateboard."

Brad laughed and then stopped. "So, what happened?" he asked.

"The wonder twins threw Jenny a water party and turned the whole school against her. When I stepped in half of her face had shorted out and she was pinned. She wouldn't fight back, I don't get it. Anyway, I knocked Don on his butt and then wham! Next thing I know I'm in the locker and asking Sheldon to get me out. Where the hell were you?" Chris said.

"My car broke down and I had to run, but when I got there Sheldon told me he saw Jenny run out into the rain, so I went looking for her. She wasn't looking too good when I found her. Anyway you know the rest," he answered.

"Yeah," Chris said.

They sat in silence again waiting for something to come up. Chris could feel the next question in his gut. Brad was going to ask if he had anything to do with it, but Brad never asked. He was content to sit and drink his Coke. A few minutes went by and then Chris turned the TV on. They both kicked back on their couches and watched some old action movie not saying a word.

They had been friends since they were in kindergarten and there was a special bond between them. An unspoken promise about sticking together through thick and thin no matter what.

Langdon felt sick to his stomach as he watched the coroners pull the body of Sean Murphy down from the wall. He had been hung from it with a nail gun and next to his body was writing made out in blood. It read,

"Jesus Christ walks into a hotel, hands the innkeeper three nails, and says can you put me up for the night?"

Caporzo stared at the writing and thought about his first serial murderer case. The guy liked to carve up four year olds and leave nursery rhymes in blood. But it couldn't be him Caporzo thought. The man in question had been executed by lethal injection more than ten years ago. Still, he couldn't refute the fact that this seemed to be linked to the old murders.

"Alright, Dean, what do you make of all this?" the detective asked.

Langdon rubbed his chin with his index finger like he always did when he was thinking, "Is our latest victim related in anyway to our dead captain? I honestly don't know what to make of this one. The first murder had "apparent" reason whereas this one seems completely random. Also, why leave a message? And why wasn't there one at the first body? It just doesn't make sense, Adam."

Caporzo looked at his partner and thought. Was there a message hidden within the first killing? Was the killer feeling as if he was being too complex and had to spell it all out? There had to be some sort of connection between the victims or at the very least some reason… or did there?

"Hey, Dean, was there some underlying message at the last scene? Maybe something to do with the number seven? This sicko seems to have something for limericks. He likes to take things too literally, maybe if we make a connection…?" he said trailing off.

Suddenly Langdon shot up. It was so obvious, how could he have missed it? He had grown up reciting it. He turned to Caporzo and walked up to him rhyming, "Seven blackbirds in a tree, count them and see what they be, one for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret that's never been told."

"What the hell does all that mean?" Caporzo ask puzzled.

"It's the connection. There were seven pictures found with the captain, seven bullets, and seven secrets revealed. With Mr. Murphy, he was nailed to a wall, but there must be some underlying meaning for it. Check for arrest records, any kind of connection to nailed or hammered or something to do with the act. Then we'll know why, but…"

"But, we still don't know who done it. Nice job, kid, but all this tells us is that we have a freak with an obsession with rhymes and the truth," Caporzo responded.

"Alright, then we have to find the connection between the vics and try to find out who's next," Langdon said recovering.

High above the crime scene on the roof of the State Building stood the figure of a man. He grinned as he watched his handiwork unfolding. He was well on his way to accomplishing his goal. Revenge was his. He turned to look at the moon and jumped into the cool night air.


	4. Rebels of the Sacred Heart

Welcome to My Life

Chapter 3: Rebels of the Sacred Heart

Jenny laid in her bed watching the rain pound her window. Her mother was angrier than she had ever seen before and Brad was exiled from her home. All because the other kids didn't treat her with the same respect that he did. She rolled on to her back and looked up at the ceiling. Was this the end of their friendship? She could still see him and Chris and Sheldon at school couldn't she? The thought of losing the only real friends she had made her shiver. She didn't want to be alone again. She needed that touch of humanity, it was what made her, her. She wouldn't let that happen. No matter what.

"XJ-9," Mrs. Wakeman called from downstairs. "I have to step out to the store for a bit. When I get back I expect you to be here and alone. Have a good time dear!"

Jenny's face contorted into an expression of sheer disgust. Have a good time! By herself! Who did her mom think she was fooling? Jenny hit her head on her pillow and continued staring at the ceiling. She thought of Brad and the "feeling" of his touch. She thought of Chris' honesty and loyalty. She thought of how much she valued Sheldon as a friend, even if he was a little creepy. Lastly she thought of Tuck and how he made her laugh. Her friends were the only thing she could truly say were hers. Her mom bought her things to help her feel normal, but it never helped. It was her friends that did the trick.

She rolled out of bed and to her feet and decided she was thirsty. On her way out of her room she saw a picture of them all at her last birthday. She had never been so happy or surprised in her five short years. It wasn't the presents or anything they did, it was just that they had remembered her birthday. She finally smiled and felt a single oily tear roll down her cheek. She could never forget to smile with her friends around her.

Brad looked over at the other couch to Chris and smirked. His bespectacled friend had passed outinto their second movie. Brad stood up and turned the TV off and then said bye to Chris before walking out the door and into the rainy night. Things were going to be hard for a while. Winning Jenny and her mom's trust back and proving Chris' innocence were going to take patience and a cool head and for once these things were his specialty. Sort of, he thought to himself pulling his hood back up.

He looked down Chris' street and could just barely see through the thick sheet of fog that had set in. He could still remember their first summer together and how they had made their pact by cutting their palms and shaking hands becoming "blood brothers". He laughed at how ridiculous it all was. Shaking his head Brad stepped off the porch and into the fog not realizing he was being watched.

Dean Langdon sipped his cold coffee and thought about the case. Two dead teens who were on the same baseball team and who had both, reportedly, jammed Chris into a locker. That was the connection. The two, along with one other, had been responsible for the attack on the only suspect the police had. The other one was Sam Baker, another baseball player, but he also had a record. He liked to throw things from the roofs of tall buildings, such as bricks and what not. One day he did over ten thousand dollars in damage, but his rich, influential father got him off the hook. The charges were dropped and the case disappeared, but it was never a secret that many people hated the kid's guts. He was most likely the next victim, but something made Dean uneasy about this. He knew he had a duty to arrest the murderer and protect life, even if it was scum, but he thought that maybe, just maybe the guy had the right idea. These kids were all disliked for one reason or another by someone.

It turned out that Sean Murphy, victim number two, had killed a homeless man while driving under the influence. His father, another influential rich man, got him off the hook and the saying that followed the boy was that he was never nailed with anything. The same can't be said anymore though.

"Let's see," Langdon said to himself, "each murder has an accompanying rhyme that matches up to something the victim did. If that's so then it's likely that Baker will be tossed from a building. Hmm," he thought.

Caporzo walked in and handed his partner a paper saying Sam Baker was to be taken into protective custody. Langdon looked it over and once again thought about if the killer was right. He shook his head dismissing the thought and grabbed his coat. He and Caporzo made their way to the garage.

Their car was an old '77 Ford with torn leather seats and a broken heater. They had never liked the car, but it was reliable for most things as long as you didn't mind freezing. They got in and drove towards the exit, but just as they went through the doorway, a body smashed down onto the hood and shattered the windshield.

"Holy screaming sheep shit!" Caporzo yelled falling out of his door and pulling his gun.

Langdon could only sit there looking into the eyes of Sam Baker. He couldn't move and felt a lump forming in his throat. No one deserved this, he had to have been crazy to think that for even a second.

"Dean! Get outta the car, now!" Caporzo yelled as loud as he could.

Langdon snapped out of his thoughts and jumped from the car pulling his gun and pointing towards the roof of the precinct. There he saw it, the shape of a man wearing a flowing black coat and he could hear laughter. The man was hanging from the top floor and yelling his latest message while cracking up.

"Once I saw a little bird come hop, hop, hop, I cried "Little Bird, will you stop, stop, stop?" I was going to the window to say, "How do you do?", but he shook his little tail and away he flew!"

With that the man jumped into the air and flew down three stories before swinging out over the town by a rope. The man would throw rope after rope swinging away into the city just as Spider-Man would.

On the street, the detectives looked at each other and then at Baker's body and they both slumped to the ground. Caporzo could hear his partner throwing up. Things had just gone from bad to worse. The boy they were supposed to protect from this psycho had just been dropped into their lap from nine stories up. Now there was no way to tell who was next. The rest of the baseball team, the Crust Cousins, Don Prima? No way to know, was all Langdon could think at that point, no way to know.

Jenny sat on the couch in her living room cradling her legs as she watched the news about the three murders. She couldn't believe it, Chris was the suspect. It wasn't possible for him to kill. He was too nice to do something like that, wasn't he? She tried to think about him as a murderer, but she couldn't get the thought to go through. It wasn't possible and she was going to prove it, whether her mom wanted her to stay away from him or not. She stood up just as the doorbell rang. It couldn't be her mom, it had only been forty five minutes.

"Jen! Open up its Brad!" came a voice.

Jenny ran smiling to let him in. There he stood soaked to the bone and shivering. He made a quick smirk and then stepped back. He wasn't sure if she had forgiven him or if he should even be there. Jenny gave a sad look before grabbing him by the arm and flinging him inside, where she embraced her dear friend in a tight bear hug. Brad was surprised and at the same time, crushed, quite literally.

"Jenny, I can't breathe," he managed to get out.

Jenny blushed and released him helping him to his knees. It was so good to see him and to hold him like that. She smiled still blushing and looked into his eyes to see the same look. Brad quickly looked away as he stood.

"I'm, uh, I'm glad you're okay, Jen," he said trying to hide his face. "For a while there I didn't know if you were gonna make it."

She stopped smiling at that. He was really worried, he did still care. She put a hand on Brad's shoulder and wrapped her other arm around his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. Brad held her hand in his and together they stood like that for what felt like hours. This might be the right time, she thought to herself.

On the other end of town Chris woke up to his doorbell ringing. Thinking it was the detectives again he jumped up off the couch and walked to answer it. He opened the door, but to his surprise it wasn't the police, it was Don Prima.

"We need to talk," he said inviting himself in.

Back at Jenny's home, she and Brad had made their way to the couch and were laughing as they had a tickle fight. Jenny's artificial nerves had been installed awhile ago and she could finally control the feelings. The fight ended when they fell off the couch and Brad wound up on top with his lips resting on Jenny's. They both jumped away from each other blushing furiously. Had Brad just kissed her? That's sure what it felt like, Jenny thought to herself.

"XJ-9! What did I tell you!" Mrs. Wakeman came in yelling at the top of her lungs.

The two teens jumped to their feet and started making excuses, but nothing came out clear because they were talking at the same time. Mrs. Wakeman grabbed her ears as the noise became shattering with the arrival of police sirens. Detectives Langdon and Caporzo came running inside looking foe Jenny.

"Miss Wakeman, we have some questions for you," Langdon explained.

Thirty minutes had gone by and the situation had been told. Chris and Don Prima were both missing. Chris' home was trashed and his glasses were found shattered along with Don's ring. It looked like a bomb had gone off taking the two teens with it. Jenny was heartbroken. Her friend was first suspected of killing and now he's gone, maybe even dead. Why weren't these two out looking for him?

"We're here because it looks as if a robot may have attacked them," Langdon said.

Jenny's eyes widened. Now she was the suspect?

"This is purely circumstantial," her mom said getting angrier. "My daughter is incapable of taking human life, its one of her prime directives. I assure you this was not her doing!"

"Look, ma'am, we're not saying you're daughter did anything, but we need to look at every possible answer," Caporzo said trying to cool things off.

"Isn't it possible that it was something else?" Brad asked. "I mean, most of this damage looks physical, like a fight happened, not a robot attacking. Besides I was here with Jenny since6 pm. When did you say this happened?"

"Around 7:15," Langdon answered. "So once again there's an alibi to answer and disprove all our theories."

The young detective walked to the window and looked out into the cool nightair.The Moon was setting into its placeand the storm was still pounding down. In the distance he could swear he heard thunder, but there was no lightening. Was he just imagining it? Or maybe it was coming from all the arguing coming from behind him. He looked closer at a blinking light that seemed to be approaching the house when he realized what it was and ran back into the kitchen yelling for everyone to hit the deck. He was too little too late as the blast hit the house…


	5. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

Welcome to My Life

Chapter 4: Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

Langdon reached the floor just as the blast hit the front porch of the Wakeman house. The floor lifted and the ceiling cracked and fell in some places. The air filled with smoke and dust as visibility dropped to zero and a loud ringing filled the occupants' ears. The young detective searched the floor for anyone he could help, but the blast was too disorienting. He could barely tell whether he was on his feet or not.

Outside, the Wakeman's neighbors had started pouring into the street to see what the mad scientist had unleashed upon them this time. Instead what they found resembled a war zone. The front of the house looked like it had imploded while the rest of it was ablaze. One neighbor in particular ran up to the rubble and began digging his way in. Tuck was desperate to find his brother and friends. They were truly all he had due to the fact that most people found him annoying. He couldn't lose them now.

As he pulled another burning board away from the door a loud thump erupted beside him. He turned slowly not knowing what to expect and found the one person he didn't expect to ever see again.

Chris pulled himself up from the rubble and immediately fell to his knees coughing blood. He was covered in dirt and bruises as the blood oozed from his injuries. He was amazed he could even stand as his attacker flew at him. The teen grabbed one of the many pipes littered across the Wakemans' lawn and charged, swinging it like a bat at his opponent. The figure, still shrouded in darkness, flew just out of reach of him as he swung again and again. Each move made his body creak and ache eventually caused him to fall once again. The figure grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air preparing to choke what little life was left out of him.

"C…coward!" Chris squeezed out clutching at his throat.

Behind the pair, the neighbors had begun backing away. All, but Tuck knew there was no way to stop the thing from killing Chris. The young boy threw a nearby rock at its head grabbing it attention away from Chris. Its left eye glowed red as it dropped the unconscious teen to the ground. Tuck backed away, about to wet his pants. He had nowhere to run as the figure reached out for him with one bloody hand. It was about to wring his slender throat when something grabbed its shoulder, spinning it into a punch, hard enough to shake the world.

The figure hit the ground and slid as Jenny walked up to it, transforming one arm into her favorite mallet. She brought it down on her opponent's arm as hard as she could causing a blast of electricity to shoot through the air and revealing at last who the psychopath was. Jenny gasped as it let light shine upon its face. The killer was none other than the fair skinned, prim and proper, Don Prima. He used her moment of shock against her, punching her in the face as hard as he could. Dazed Jenny looked up just as he kicked her in the stomach. She cringed as her body was damaged by the high power kick.

Don smiled wickedly as he held up his left arm. The fingers slid back and the palm dropped down into the arm itself as a silver rod rolled out. She couldn't believe it. Don was a robot, more so, he was the killer. Why hadn't she realized it before? But before she could think again the rod whipped around her throat and flung her up into the air slamming her down into the mud. The lens over her left eye cracked as she was lifted up again and slammed down even harder. She had to get free, had to fight it, had to… but once again she was lifted and slammed into the side of her home.

Jenny fell to her knees as Don approached switching out the whip for a chainsaw blade. She could hear it revving up as she attempted to come up with a plan. He was stronger than her and he didn't have a weakness to the rain, which had continued falling all through the fight. Luckily her mom had given her a new chassis that was water resistant. Her head shot up as she realized. Don's shell was water resistant too, but the inside must still be vulnerable, she thought as the blade came crashing down on her back. She screamed in agony as her sensors began warning her of a possible breach within her chassis. Don pushed harder not noticing the people clawing their way out from the rubble.

Shots rang out as the two detectives, now freed from the fallen house, unloaded round after round into Don's back. There was no effect as he turned to face them. His skin tore off revealing a chrome body underneath. Don stomped on Jenny's back forcing her into the ground as he walked up to the detectives. They were an annoyance he would enjoy ridding himself of. To his right a humming sound turned into agonizing pain as he was shot into the street. Clawing his way out from the hole in the asphalt he saw Nora Wakeman holding what appeared to be a miniaturized Tesla Coil. It was warming up to fire another burst of electricity as he stood up.

He smiled realizing this would be much more fun than he originally believed.

Brad's eyes opened as he slowly rose to his knees. The blast had thrown him into a nearby wall, causing it to crack and make him black out. His eyes were still unfocused as he tried to get to his feet falling face first. His head was ablaze with agony as he opened his eyes again. Around him, he heard thunderous booms and screams. He had to get out there and find out what was happening. Brad lifted his head enough to see the flames reaching for the stove. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain just enough to run for the opening in what was once the front door, just as the flames tore into the stove's gas supply and caused a massive explosion.

Brad was lifted into the air and brought down on top of Chris' body. The two detectives fell to their feet as Nora was hit by the shockwave. Jenny looked up just in time to see Don's chassis take a critical hit and fall to the ground. Her body ached as she lifted herself to her knees. Her right arm was down to bare "bone" and her eyes now flickered on and off. Her chassis was cracked along the back and scuffed all over the front as she rose to her feet. She could see Brad and Chris piled up, her mother lying face down in a mud puddle, the detectives were unconscious against what was once a tree, and Tuck lying in the middle of the street. As she walked up to Don, she turned her arms into a laser cannon and a crow bar. Se was going to rip his chassis open and let the rain finish him off.

She was right on top of him when she saw it. The Cluster symbol, emblazoned on his neck. That was why he could do the things he did, but…she never had time to finish her thought as a silver pole speared her chest, right through her "heart".

"This ends now," Don said with a crackle.

Jenny's arms went limp at her sides as Don stood up. She couldn't get her body to work as he jammed the spear further into her. Each time he pushed she lost another function until all she could do was watch him.

"Well, XJ-9, it's been a blast, but now, I have a world to conquer," he said smugly letting her slide off his spear into the mud.

Jenny's eyes went blank as her body flooded and sparked. Don walked over to where Chris laid and once again grabbed him by the throat. He stared at the boy and wondered why a pathetic human such as this had given him such a hard time. He tightened his hold on the teen's throat ready to watch his eyes burst, but before he could a cold feeling shot through his system like an ice cube down the back of a shirt. Chris fell to the ground as Don looked behind, but there was nothing there. Again the cold feeling shot through him. He spun again, but there was still no one there. He looked down at his chassis and saw the reason. A big plate was missing which revealed his main hard drive to the elements.

Don fell to his knees spouting nonsense as his chest sparked. His mission couldn't end in failure, not now. He had finally defeated the robot girl and all he need do is signal Cluster Prime. His eyes went blank as he fell face first to the ground. The Cluster enforcer had completed his prime objective only to succumb to all robots' worst enemy…water. The hard drive burst into flames as an electrical discharge ran through the course of his body. When the discharge hit his head it exploded followed shortly thereafter by the rest of his body.

To be concluded…


	6. Pieces

Welcome to My Life

Chapter 5: Pieces

Brad's eyes slowly opened to the sound of a heart rate monitor. He had somehow made it to a hospital, but he couldn't remember how. His thoughts of the previous day were hazy as well. His arms and chest were bandaged up to look like a mummy and his left leg was in a cast. To his right sat his little brother, sleeping on the next cot. How he had gotten mixed up in all this Brad had no idea. He wished he could remember something, anything, but it was blank like nothing had ever been there.

In the next room over, Chris lay in a coma like state. His forehead was wrapped and he had wires and tubes all over his body. Dean Langdon watched over the boy from his chair and scratched at the cast covering his right arm. He had been lucky to only have a broken arm and some cuts and scrapes. His partner, Adam Caporzo, wasn't so lucky. He was still in surgery getting shrapnel removed from his back. He had jumped between Langdon and the blast to try to protect him.

"Partners do that…" Langdon said repeating what Caporzo had told him.

Jenny had been carted to a room in an empty section of Tremerton General so her mom could attempt to repair her. It wouldn't be easy, though. Her internal mechanisms had been shorted out and outer chassis had taken serious damage from Don. It would take a miracle for her to survive, but her hard drive was still mostly functional. Nora Wakeman slumped down into her chair sighing. Her daughter, her little girl whom she had built from scratch was lying next to her fighting to stay functional. Her little girl had done exactly what she had been programmed to do…defend human life to the last. A single tear ran down her cheek as the thunder continued to boom outside.

Outside the hospital, camera crews and reporters along with protestors had gathered in an attempt to get at Jenny. She had been branded a threat because of this whole mess and now even those who had once stood by her wanted her dismantled. The police had done their best to keep the vultures out, but as with any situation, they would try anything to get a story. Several had been arrested for harassment, but one managed to get to Chris' room. He was already snapping shots of the teen when Langdon punched him with all his might, smashing the camera. The reporter fell to the ground holding his bleeding nose as Langdon cuffed him and dragged him to a nearby gurney. The detective cuffed him to the gurney and then walked back to Chris' room.

"Animals! I can't believe they would have the nerve to try to make a buck off all this!" Langdon thought slamming down into his chair.

He kept going over the case in his mind. Don Prima, a well known and much liked student of Tremerton High, had actually been a robot in disguise who, after a brutal assault on Jenny Wakeman, set out to frame Chris Bonner for the murder of three high school baseball players. The boy/robot then attempted to eliminate Chris and Jenny, but was finally defeated by rain and injuries sustained by battling the robot girl and company. All that remained to discover was why he did it. Langdon couldn't believe that Don had done it for fun, so there had to be some underlying motive for it all. He rested his head in his hand and kept going over everything to try and find that one detail he missed. When he heard a moan come from his side he turned to see Chris quivering. The teen had been through more than most people could even begin to imagine and yet he had never given into despair. Langdon respected that and admired it in someone that young.

On the other side of the hospital, Nora Wakeman had begun the repairs to her daughter's body. It was a very solemn moment as she reached her daughter's face plate. The left eye was shattered and there was scuff under the right. The forehead was cracked and her mouth was split at the lower lip. Nora stopped and managed a slight smile thinking about how Jenny had acted when she was first activated. It was like having a three year old who was too curious about the world. Everyday there was a new part that needed to be replaced or repaired, but Nora still loved her. Jenny was her daughter and no matter what, she would do anything to protect her and to have her in her life.

The chassis was another story entirely as the back had been torn open and would require welding and fresh plates from her lab. At that thought Nora stopped and looked out the window. Her lab, her home, everything she and Jenny were was gone. Their home was destroyed by that thing that had attacked them and they could never replace the memories lost. But that didn't matter, not now. What mattered most was getting her daughter up and running again and she wouldn't rest until Jenny was "awake". She grabbed a nearby tray and the welding torch loaned to her by the superintendent and started on all of Jenny's cuts. It was going to be a long night, but she would have her daughter back, she thought as she worked.

Brad stared up at the ceiling in his hospital room and watched Jenny laugh. He had been watching his memories unfold since he woke up and it was getting to the best part. Jenny was more than a friend to him, she was, well… more than a friend. He couldn't put exactly how he felt about her into words that made sense. His feelings for her burnt with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns, but he couldn't really be in love with a robot could he? She was his best friend next to Chris, but could actually love her? That kiss meant **something** didn't it? He started to scare himself entertaining all these ideas and decided it was better not to think about it until he knew how she felt.

Time would pass and one by one the group would be released from the hospital into the jaws of the press. Each would tell their tale, each sure to point out Jenny's bravery and willingness to protect human life, and then they would leave for whatever each person called home. Chris was the only member of the "team" to never leave. He had truly fallen into a coma, but despite the doctors believing he would remain a vegetable for the remainder of his life, a strange and miraculous thing would occur on a very special day.

It had been two months since the incident and the press had gotten wind of a new exclusive and better story than the robot girl who protected the world. The rain that had fallen since the incident began had finally stopped. There were periods when it would slow, but the sky never cleared of clouds and the sun never shone through, but today was different. Today was special because it marked the day of a very important event. It was Jenny's birthday.

She woke up early that day and hopped out of bed just as a beam of sunlight pierced the grey sky. Jenny ran to the window as fast as she could amazed at what she saw. Was it possible? Had the rain finally stopped? A smile spread across her lips as the beam steadily filled the sky. Her newly polished body sparkled as the warmth showered over her. It was a sight to see as she ran to her mom's room. Nora had fallen asleep on top of the covers again, still dressed and still wearing her glasses. She moaned as her daughter shook her awake, but when she saw the sunlight her eyes shot open in awe. It was truly over, the nightmare that nearly took her daughter was closing its final page as the dark clouds disappeared completely.

"Happy birthday, Jenny," Nora said hugging her daughter.

Jenny just smiled as she returned the hug. The pair had grown closer because of everything that had happened. Nora even accepted Brad and Tuck as her daughter's friends because they had been a key to getting their home rebuilt. The lab had been fully refurnished, the home itself looked better than ever, and Jenny could see her friends anytime she wanted to. As for the friendship, something more blossomed as Jenny learned of Brad's feelings and they began going out strictly on a trial basis. She was so happy to have someone as important as Brad in her life. However, all the while, something nagged at the back of her mind. Their dear friend who had fallen in battle still hadn't woken up.

Jenny looked at herself in her mirror and tried to smile again, but it wouldn't come out. This happened whenever she thought of Chris. Sometimes she wondered if he would have been better off never knowing her, but Brad always assured her that it wasn't her fault. Whether Chris knew her or not didn't matter, he had a knack for getting mixed up in things like this. She knew she had to visit him today, but she always dreaded it. She was afraid that she would walk in and he wouldn't be there anymore. When the ring at the door came she ran to open it and was greeted by a big bouquet of roses and a card. A tear rolled down her cheek as she clutched Brad. She hugged him and pecked him on the cheek before leading him down the street, hand in hand.

When the pair got to the hospital they found the thing they dreaded most, Chris was nowhere to be found. They searched frantically for him only to find him wheeling down the hall in a wheelchair. His trademark grin appeared on his face as he raced to meet them. Jenny screamed with joy and Brad hugged his dear friend happy to finally have him back. The team was complete again as they began asking question after question until Chris finally explained everything. It was going to take a little while longer until he could walk, but he was fine otherwise. His injuries had healed and he even had a few new scars to brag about. The nightmare had ended happily for once and Jenny had everyone she cared about back.

As the trio made their way back to Jenny's home to celebrate the rest of her birthday a police car rolled up and out stepped Lieutenants Dean Langdon and Adam Caporzo. They walked up to the teens and shook hands while taking the time to pass Jenny flowers and cards. They said their goodbyes and then took off down the road again allowing the group of friends to continue on their way. As they rounded the block to Jenny's home they laughed asking what was next. They had survived the worst attack on them since they first met and came through it together, nothing could stop them now. They walked through the front door and the celebration began.

The End

Well, that's all folks. What did you think of my very first fic? Good? Bad? Whatever? Thanks for the reviews and support and if there's enough call for it, I may make a sequel. Later.

Welcome to My Life Soundtrack:

Welcome to My Life – Simple Plan

Sandy Planet – Tsuneo Imahori

Giving In – Adema

Let the Bodies Hit the Floor – Drowning Pool

Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz

Truth of My Youth – New Found Glory

Rebels of the Sacred Heart – Flogging Molly

Pieces – Sum 41

Dean Langdon, Adam Caporzo, and Chris Bonner are all registered trademarks of Tervaco and Burn Up Studios. The rest of the characters portrayed in this story are owned by their respective creators and Nickelodeon.

Tervaco 7/10/05


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